Faulconer moneyman nabs planning chair

$3000 in contributions to a 2014 mayoral campaign fund favoring him have apparently gone down well with Kevin Faulconer, who's just made their principal source, La Jolla architect Timothy Golba, chairman of the city's planning commission.

The major mayoral move was announced in a May 22 memorandum that got little if no attention from local media, a big chunk of it, including the La Jolla Light and U-T San Diego, now owned by real estate development-tied interests in the form of mega-millionaire Douglas Manchester, also of La Jolla.

In addition to his big money to the mayor's political cause, city campaign disclosure data show Golba's firm, Golba Architecture, gave at least $3250 to the GOP Lincoln Club, the group that mowed down the mayoral hopes of Republican-turned-Democrat Nathan Fletcher and Democrat David Alvarez with devastatingly effective hit pieces, clearing then–city councilman Faulconer's way to higher office.

Golba has been on the planning commission since April 2008, when Republican mayor Jerry Sanders appointed him.

Golba's contribution to the Faulconer cause consisted of $2000 from himself and $1000 from wife Tracy Ann. The Golbas have also given $3000 to the failed mayoral hopes of ex–city councilman Carl DeMaio in 2012 and $1500 to the 2014 reelection campaign of GOP city councilwoman Lorie Zapf, the data shows.

A little more than two years ago, in March of 2012, Golba agreed to pay a $3000 penalty to the city's ethics commission after it was discovered that from 2009 through 2011 he had failed to disclose sources of income to his business greater than $10,000, as required by state law.

The amount of the fine was so low, according to stipulation reached between Golba and the commission because "he provided information demonstrating that he carefully refrained from participating in, or otherwise influencing, any Planning Commission decisions that involve sources of income to his architectural firm."

Documented details of the information Golba ostensibly furnished regarding his potential conflict of interests and the identity of his undisclosed clients was not made public by the commission.

In the same memo announcing Golba's appointment, the mayor also revealed he was naming as vice chairman of the commission an executive for yet another of his biggest developer campaign donors.

Stephen Haase, appointed to the commission in 2011 by former mayor Jerry Sanders, is “senior vice president for forward planning” at Baldwin and Sons, a giant real estate development outfit with a big footprint in Otay Ranch.

"Mr. Haase provides entitlement support for the company’s land development projects, beginning with the entitlement process and including infrastructure improvements and project revisions," according to Baldwin's website.

"Prior to joining Baldwin and Sons, Mr. Haase worked for Sudberry Properties, Inc. on retail and mixed-use projects, including the 230-acre Civita mixed-use development in Mission Valley and Watermark in Scripps Ranch."

Sudberry Properties is the Mission Valley development company run Tom Sudberry, longtime GOP donor and Lincoln Club leader. Sudberry is widely believed to have his eyes on future expansion of his development activities in the valley and elsewhere in the new, more land-use permissive era of Faulconer.